Children of the Civil War: Selected Biographies

Explore biographies of children whose lives were shaped by the American Civil War, from young Union and Confederate soldiers to drummer boys, nurses, and educators. Discover their remarkable stories of courage, sacrifice, and service on the battlefield and beyond.

Johnny Clem

John Clem tried to enlist in the Union Army in 1861 but was refused because he was not yet 10 years old. Undeterred, Clem joined the 22nd Michigan, which allowed him to follow the regiment, adopting him as a mascot and unofficial drummer boy before he officially enlisted in 1863. 

He became a national celebrity for his actions at Chickamauga. Armed with his drum and a sawed-down musket, he fought with the 22nd Michigan at Horseshoe Ridge on September 20, 1863. When cornered by a Confederate colonel who demanded his surrender, Clem shot the officer and returned to his unit. The "Drummer Boy of Chickamauga" was promoted to sergeant for his actions, becoming the youngest soldier ever to serve as a noncommissioned officer in the United States Army.

Edwin Jemison

Edwin Jemison of Monroe, Louisiana, enlisted in the Confederate Army at the age of 16 in 1861. He served in the 2nd Louisiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment and participated in the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days Battles in 1862. During the Battle of Malvern Hill, Jemison was among the Confederate soldiers who charged up the slope into Union artillery fire.

He was found dead on the battlefield by his comrades, decapitated by a direct hit from a Federal cannon. His photograph has become one of the most famous portraits of the Civil War, and a monument in his honor stands at Memory Hill Cemetery in Georgia.

John Cook

John Cook enlisted in the Union Army in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a bugler for the 4th U.S. Artillery at the age of 14. During the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, the Union battery came under fire from Confederate infantrymen in the West Woods. After carrying a wounded officer to the rear, Cook returned to his unit to find most of the gunners dead and the cannons unmanned. Grabbing an ammunition pouch from a fallen comrade, he began to service the cannons and held his ground throughout the attack, even when Confederate troops advanced to within five yards of his position. 

He also served at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he carried messages amid heavy fire and destroyed a damaged caisson to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. For his courageous actions at Antietam, Cook was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Charlie King

Charlie King enlisted in the 49th Pennsylvania at age 12 after a company captain heard him practicing his drum near the military camp. He participated in the Peninsula Campaign and was promoted to drum major of the field music for the regiment. 

During the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, the 49th Pennsylvania suffered a direct hit from Confederate artillery fire in the East Woods, wounding several soldiers, including King. He died three days later in a field hospital, becoming the youngest known casualty of the Civil War on either side of the conflict.

Orion P. Howe

Orion P. Howe enlisted at the age of 12 in the 55th Illinois Volunteer Infantry as a musician alongside his brother, Lyston. During the Battle of Vicksburg on May 19, 1863, Howe, severely wounded, limped through heavy enemy fire to reach Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and report the critical need for more .54-caliber cartridges.

Despite his serious wound, Howe recovered, reenlisted in the same regiment in 1863, rose to the rank of corporal by age 15, and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Vicksburg. For a more in-depth biography, read more about Orion Howe.

Joseph Evan Davis

Joseph Davis was born in April 1859 while his father, Jefferson Davis, was serving as a senator for Mississippi. Bright and well-behaved, he was a favorite of his father. On April 30, 1864, five-year-old Joseph fell 15 feet from the east portico of the Confederate White House in Richmond.

He was found with a severely fractured skull by a servant and died around the time his parents returned home. Rumors spread in the press that Davis's older son, Jefferson Davis Jr., might have pushed the child, but nothing was ever proven, and Davis had the east portico removed. Thousands of children attended the funeral, and in 1866, the children of Richmond raised $40 for a monument to Joseph that still stands in Hollywood Cemetery.

Susie King Taylor

Susie King Taylor was born on a plantation in Georgia in 1848 and went to Savannah to live with her grandmother in 1855. Despite the harsh laws against the formal education of African Americans, she attended secret schools taught by Black women and was tutored by two white youths.

In April 1862, she fled to Union-occupied St. Simons Island. Quickly recognized for her advanced education, she became the first Black teacher to openly educate African Americans in Georgia at the age of 14. She married Edward King, a Black officer in the 33rd United States Colored Infantry Regiment, and served as a nurse and laundress while teaching reading and writing to soldiers in his regiment until the end of the war. In 1902, she privately published a book about her experiences as a nurse entitled Reminiscences.